


Fascination

by bluecarrot



Series: tumblr tumblr tumblr prompts!!! [4]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Fluff, Language of Flowers, M/M, No Smut, Romantic Fluff, Short & Sweet, fluffy fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-21 23:10:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7408882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluecarrot/pseuds/bluecarrot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>wherein Alexander works at a flower-shop with boss Angelica, and what the hell is Burr buying all these flowers for, anyway?</p><p>(i slip off my customary Burrskin here and try on a little Lion.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fascination

**Author's Note:**

> for @pinkconsultingsociopath over on tumblr, who double-dog-dared me? i cannot resist nice requests. i am VERY WEAK.
> 
> this was written 7/5/2016 at like 2 in the morning i really need to get more sleep

 

 

A fistful of lavender.

 

A bouquet of flowering dogwood, the broad petals perfectly curved.

 

One tall, graceful sprig of freesia.

 

A palm-leaf and a branch of jasmine, dripping scent.

 

It was that last one that really gave Alex pause. What an odd combination. And what sort of person spent so much on flowers? Sure, if it was a wedding or something, but this guy was in every single week without pause and he bought the oddest things ...

Alex handed over the change. "I hope she forgives you," he said.

"I'm sorry?"

"You must have done something really bad."

The guy just looked at him.

"I mean, you're always in here, buying flowers, and ... sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. It's not my place."

A long, considered look. "They're for me."

"Really?" He finished wrapping butcher paper around the armful, taping down the edge with an easy motion. "You have interesting taste."

"Thank you."

 

After he was gone, Alex sagged against the counter. "Damn," he said.

"What?" That was Angelica, in the back. She poked her head out. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I meant,  _damn._ Like goddamn. Like  _goddamn_ he is beautiful."

"Oh, that one again? The smooth one, with all that," she gestured vaguely, "that bone structure?"

"Yeah." Oh, yes.

"Alex, you have got to chill on this. He's probably married. Or straight. Or both."

"I'm  _fine._  Anyway, he said he buys it all for himself."

"Really?" She looked skeptical. Angelica was usually skeptical.

"So he said."

"Huh."

"Yeah."

She went back again, muttering something to herself.

"What?"

"I said, odds are that he's straight."

"I can change that," Alex called, and heard her laughing.

 

White carnations and a long, sweetly curving frond of maidenhair fern.

It was unbalanced and a little pedestrian, thought Alex, but he only said the price.

The man handed over a twenty. "Don't you have a tip jar here?"

Alex shook his head, aping sadness. "Five and nine is your change."

"You should get one," said the bone structure.

("No," said Angelica, trimming off rose thorns, not even looking up. "You're not a prostitute, Alex. If he wants to flirt with you he can do it properly. Besides, tip jars are a sign of gentrification, and I refuse to be gentrified.")

 

Three gardenias, just blooming, filling the shop with their musky fragrance.

Alex had always thought gardenias to be -- well, almost sexual. Something about the white, waxy flowers and the dollop of yellow at the center, tucked away like a secret sweetness. And that heady scent. He kept his eyes down and focused on his hands as he carefully worked to wrap the bouquet. "You must have a lot of spare ... um. Uh. Sorry. I shouldn't."

"I'm hard to offend. What were you going to say?"

Well, yeah; it must be easy to think well of yourself when you looked like that. "Only that flowers aren't cheap, at least not the ones you normally buy. And you're here a lot. Buying for yourself. That's unusual."

"You notice what I bought?"

"It's sort of my job. And I noticed you, particularly." 

He heard a quiet, warning throat-clear from the boss. 

"Anyway," he said, quickly. "Your total is ..."

The man handed over his money.  "Do you know anything about flower language?"

"Some. Should I be paying attention?"

Angelica came up to the counter and began to tidy up.

"Thank you," and he left.

They tacitly waited for the cowbell over the door to give off its telltale goodbye.

"Alex, you need to stop flirting or I am moving you off the register."

"He started it, with those damn gardenias."

"Do you even know his name?"

Alex made a face. "He pays with cash."

She regarded him. "When he tells you his name,  _then_ you may flirt. Until that happy day arrives, my friend, you will behave yourself. Because if you run off my customers I will make you work Friday nights  _and_ every Valentine's Day -- in the back room -- until your short and curlies are grey. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"And no hounding him for it, either," she said.

 

A hyacinth bulb, forced. Its roots tangled in the clear glass vase. "Would you call this blue or purple?"

Alex looked up. Those cheekbones. God. "Um. Purple."

"Perfect."

It was hard to breathe. "Will there be anything else?"

"Not tonight."

 

_Purple hyacinth_ , he read. _For an apology._

So he had noticed Angelica hovering, after all.

 

He was helping an indecisive new father when the bell rang. His skin crawled. He didn't need to look up to know who it was.

"I'll get this one," said Angelica; she quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I was thinking, roses?" said the nervous papa, fidgeting. He looked like he hadn't slept in several days. "Except, is that too simple? Or too obvious?"

"Roses are perfect. Roses mean love, you know. _Endless adoration_."

"They mean something?"

"Oh, all flowers have meanings," said Alex, glib. "It was a Victorian thing, they loved layers of subtlety. So roses mean _grace_ and _joy_ and _innocence_ and _love at first sight_. Definitely what you want for your little one."

"Love at first sight. Yeah. That's right. I mean, that's  _right_ , you know?" 

Alex knew. 

So he arranged the roses, taking his time over it, and sent away the jittery man with the enormous, crinkling bouquet. 

Then he  waited behind the counter, biting his lip. 

 

"Just forsythia today. Careful, the ends are still dripping a little water."

"Mmm, that's one of my favorite spring flowers. It looks so different and sort of wild growing outside, but when it's cut --" He faltered. Those dark eyes were watching him. "Um. It's like it's always  _confident,_ you know? Some flowers seem so overwhelmed when you bring them inside. Forsythia isn't afraid of a change." 

Stop, Alex. Stop.

He wrapped the cut end in plastic and finished with the usual paper. "Here. All ready."

"Thank you, as always -- Alex."

"What?"

"That's your name, isn't it? It is on your nametag."

"Yes."

"I'm Aaron." He was smiling, a little wry. "It's good to meet you."

"Um," said Alex. All he could think was:  _Does this mean I can flirt with you now?_

He could hear Angelica laughing from the back room.  That was a yes.

 

A mixed variety of tulips, still budded tight, tall and graceful. "I've been reading up a little," Alex said, arranging them neatly. "Tulips mean  _perfect lover,_ don't they?"

"It depends on the color." Aaron watched him. "And interpretations differ, as they always do. But -- yes. That's one possibility. Although  _lover_ is a bit forward at this point."

_At this point._ Alex looked up, tried to speak, and could not.

"They also mean  _beautiful eyes._ " said Aaron. "Keep studying. I'll see you in a few days."

 

Daisies and ferns. Alex tucked the delicately-spotted ferns around the outside of the group and let a single frond drape outside the paper in studied disarray.

" _Confidence_  and  _innocence_?

"Well, yes. Or  _shelter_  and _purity_. Or  _loyal love_. Flowers are never straightforward."

"Oh no, no. Flowers are perfectly honest. It's  _people_  who --" He stopped himself.

" _Fascination_ ," said Aaron, tucking the cornucopia under his arm, opening a billfold. "That would be the fern."

Alex made change. " _Shelter._ I like that word. Why do you always pay with cash? Are you afraid of identity theft? Did you rob a bank? Are you on the lam?"

"I keep hoping you'll get a tip jar."

 

A single calla lily.  _Beauty._

Well.

"Especially when you blush like that."

 

Camillas, in every shade of pink and red and white. " _Admiration_?"

" _Longing_."

 

Zinnia. " _Thinking of absent friends_."

"That's true, but I meant something a little less precise. _Thoughts_. Verging on the besotted."

"Um. There's actually a flower I want to give to you, if you don't mind. But I can't." He was aware of Angelica watching him. He didn't care. And anyway she wouldn't fire him. Probably.

"Why not?"

"It's out of season."

"It's summertime."

"Exactly. This particular flower blooms in winter." He took a deep breath. "It blooms over doorways. During the winter holidays. And it's poisonous, and some people have a nasty contact allergy, so we probably wouldn't sell it anyway.'"

" _Alex,"_ said Angelica.

Was there a trace of fuchsia along that dark cheek? But Aaron's voice was perfectly calm. "Are you sure?"

Alex was sure.

So one of them leaned over the counter and one of them dropped the bouquet and someone laughed sort of throaty and breathless, and Alex was right about the kiss, he didn't care if he was fired, it was good enough to make up for needing a new job, it was _more_ than good enough, and the way Aaron's thumb hooked into his jawline and tilted his face just that slight perfect change in angle made it perfectly clear the next step would be even better.

**Author's Note:**

> this is part of my headcanon where Alex Hamilton is this nerdy art student who spends all his time with pencils behind his ears and will give a treatise on art-as-propaganda any time you ask for it and most of the times when you don't  
> &  
> "Live in my house; I'll be your shelter".  
> &  
> i am more political and usually funnier over on [tumblr.](http://littledeconstruction.tumblr.com/)


End file.
